Friday, August 31, 2012

We spent a LOT of money while I was sick, so we're trying to save up now by using up everything that's in our freezer before we buy more. That includes the GIANT bag of fish from Costco. But to get away with serving the same type of fish several times a week I have to make it taste different every time. So...

You can either use this mix as a dry rub or mix it with the oil and lemon and spread it on. I prefer a wet rub as I find it makes for moister food. This rub goes very well on salmon, but I used sole as it's what we have and costs a lot less.

I served my fish with homemade fries and mixed veggies (another giant Costco bag in the freezer to use up) and everyone was very happy with the results.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

We recently bought an enormous pack of sausages from Costco and quickly tired of them. I started slicing up cooked sausage and putting them in pasta, but that barely put a dent in them. I needed to find something new and different to put them in. So...

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I'm trying to use more olive oil and less butter these days. A pastry brush helps, but so does flavor. I love dipping my bread in flavored oils, it's much much better than butter ever could be. This one is my favorite.

Refrigerate any leftovers. I use them for extra flavor when I make pasta primavera.

I served mine with a sliced baguette. It was seriously delicious. The 3 of us sat around the plate attacking it until all the bread was gone, then my daughter tried to eat the oil with a spoon. No need for butter here.

Monday, August 20, 2012

I'm finally on the mend and back in the kitchen after 2 1/2 terrible weeks. It makes me sad that I lost most of August, but also determined to really enjoy that last little bit of summer. Which includes... BBQ!!!

I really dislike fatty meats, but I also can't afford super expensive steaks either. I compromise by buying lean, cheap marinading steaks like sirloin tip and flank and make a marinade to soften them up.

Combine mix with wet ingredients and marinade steak in a bag for up to 48 hours before grilling.

I served mine with mixed vegetables and baked sweet potato. The steak was so delicious tender it literally melted in my mouth. If you want a rich man's steak for poor man prices, all you need is the right marinade.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I apologize for not posting recently, I was hospitalized with bacterial meningitis. This has not been a good summer for us! But I am very lucky I caught it on time so I can stay alive and still walk and hear and all that great stuff. Now I'm at home, but I'm hooked up to IV 24/7 this week and stuck in bed. Meningitis really REALLY hurts! I'm hoping to be back in the kitchen mixing it up in the next week or two, but in the meantime I can dream up new ideas from my bed.